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Friday, March 19, 2010

Food of the Week... Cheese

Cheese. Formaggio. Queso. However you say it… Most everyone likes it… some even LOVE it. I know people that put cheese on absolutely everything they eat… I mean everything…

I have a love/hate relationship with cheese… I LOVE good, ripe, flavorful cheese… the really good stuff… not that junk that has plastic film protecting it from the other cheese slices… (don’t get mad… I told you I’m a total food snob) BUT… cheese doesn’t like me… It makes my entire body swell up.. from all the salt. On this eating plan, the Let’s Do Lunch plan, cheese and all dairy are not advisable, and I have loved how I feel so much less swelled and uncomfortable, that I stay away from it altogether… except for Pecorino Romano grated on my salads… that’s the deal breaker… so I indulge in that… but nothing else…

IF you love cheese, and want to be more healthy, and possibly lose some weight… and NOT eating cheese is deal breaker for you… there are some healthier varieties out there…but be prepared… good food, unfortunately, comes with a higher price at the check out counter.

Good cheese has very few ingredients. Those few ingredients change the flavor of the cheese with TIME. Time makes for good cheese… not fillers, not flavorings, and certainly not coloring. Did you know that cheddar cheese is WHITE??? Yeah… WE here in the U.S. add the coloring… WHY? I HAVE NO IDEA! Ugh! Also… there is no such thing as Fat Free cheese… Oh… I know it’s out there… and it does exist… but really… after they take all the good stuff out, add in all the sugar, fillers and chemicals to make it “fat free”… it’s not CHEESE anymore… it’s one molecule away from plastic…in my book. If you are going to have cheese… make it good, made from whole, real ingredients… in small amounts… your body knows what to do with it… it’ll TASTE like cheese, and don’t you deserve real food? Oh… and that shredded stuff in a bag? Do you really want to know how all that cheese stays so separated? Let’s just say that you should grate your own cheese, and leave it at that…

Some good cheeses, that have good calcium, little ingredients, and are moderately lower in calories than most are… FRESH mozzarella (NOT that stuff in the shrink wrapped ball with all the lunch meats), neufchatel (cream cheese), Parmigiana Reggiano, Pecorino Romano (a good one is sold at Costco), Swiss, and Provolone. Cheddar, Head, and EZ cheese (oh, boy… don’t get me started on that one) ARE higher in fat, and tend to have a lot of “other” ingredients in them. Nacho Cheese.. .in a can… NOT CHEESE AT ALL! Just stand in line at the ER while eating it… it’ll save a trip.

Me, I’m off Dairy altogether… but my family enjoys a slice in their sandwiches now and then. NOW… and THEN… are the operative words. Cheese shouldn’t be an everyday food for anyone… me included. It’s loaded with salt… which is precisely why when I used to eat it, in any amount, I lost my ankles, and my rings wouldn’t come off…

Crumble up your favorite cheese in 1 oz increments over a salad or over a soup. Place a lovely slice over your morning eggs or on a piece of awesome whole grain toast. Keep it at one ounce per serving for your waistline, and your heart.

What does NOT constitute cheese? I touched on this earlier.. but allow me to expound… If it comes with a lid, and it’s in an aluminum can, and you have to press a nozzle to let it squirt out… IT. IS. NOT. CHEESE. It is a combination of a bunch of congealed goo, pressure packed into a canister…like silly string. I dare you to read the ingredients of a bottle. Cheese should not come in a bottle… or in a can, and it shouldn’t pour out of anything unless you melted it yourself… on your stove.

Last week, I went shopping for our local Little Leagues Snack Bar with the new Snack Bar Mgr… and we had to purchase the Nacho Cheese in bags, for the Nacho Machine. It doesn’t have to be refrigerated, and it’s shelf life was 5 years from now. THAT. IS. NOT. CHEESE. And I will pump my kids stomachs if they think they are going to ever order another order of nachos again…I should have been arrested for putting that junk in the cart… I was queasy. It’s not right…

If we learn to view cheese as a food enhancer, rather than the main dish or component of a meal, we will be healthier in the long run. If you can stay away from it altogether… and not miss it… you won’t be giving up on calcium… eat broccoli for your calcium… or a host of other veggies with loads of calcium in them…

Fermented cheeses tend to be better for our tummies than new cheeses…since most of the digestion is done right on the cheese… and if you choose a strong flavored cheese, you’ll eat less of it.

Pair it up with fruit whenever you can… grapes, tomatoes, apples… since cheese can be binding… if you know what I mean… and the fruit will help combat that before it becomes a problem…

So… enjoy a little cheese now and then… you don’t have to give up your favorite foods to lose weight… just eat them in tiny morsels… and live well!